Romans 8:18-25 teaches that the suffering of this present age is real but temporary, and that it points toward a future glory for God’s children and for creation itself. The application is simple to state and hard to live: hold present pain alongside a confident hope, and let that hope shape how you endure, pray and wait.
Paul wrote these lines in the middle of his letter to the Romans, in the section where he explains life under the Spirit. The verses sit in a larger passage about adoption, prayer and God’s purpose, which gives them their tone of steady encouragement rather than despair.
18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which will be revealed toward us. 19 For the creation waits with eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed. 20 For the creation was subjected to vanity, not of its own will, but because of him who subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of decay into the liberty of the glory of the children of God. 22 For we know that the whole creation groans and travails in pain together until now. 23 Not only so, but ourselves also, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for adoption, the redemption of our body. 24 For we were saved in hope, but hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for that which he sees? 25 But if we hope for that which we don’t see, we wait for it with patience.
Romans 8:18-25 (WEB)
Romans 8:18-25 Summary
Paul begins by setting present suffering against future glory and declaring that the two are not comparable. He then widens the frame from believers to the whole created world, saying that creation itself is waiting, groaning and longing for release from decay. The longing is shared by Christians, who have the Spirit as a first taste of what is coming and still wait for their full adoption, including the redemption of their bodies.
The passage closes with a principle about hope. Hope that can already be seen is not really hope, so Christians wait for what they cannot yet see, and they wait with patience. The argument moves from suffering, to longing, to hope, and ends with endurance.
Context of Romans 8:18-25
Romans is a letter written by the apostle Paul to the church in Rome, a community made up of Jewish and Gentile believers. In chapter 8 Paul reaches the high point of his argument about life in the Spirit, after explaining that believers have been set free from condemnation and sin. The verses just before this passage speak of being God’s adopted children and joint heirs with Christ, and the verses that follow speak of the Spirit’s help in prayer and of God working all things for good.
Paul’s point is that the Christian’s present hardship is not evidence that God has forgotten them. Suffering is placed within the larger story of God’s purpose, in which the children of God will be fully revealed and creation will share in their renewal.
Romans 8:18-25 Verse by Verse
2 Corinthians 4:17
For our light affliction, which is for the moment, works for us more and more exceedingly an eternal weight of glory…
(WEB)
Paul calls present troubles light and momentary compared with an eternal weight of glory. It echoes the comparison in Romans 8:18 and gives the same perspective on affliction from another angle.
Revelation 21:4
He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; neither will there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain, any more. The first things have passed away.”
(WEB)
This verse describes God wiping away every tear and ending death, mourning and pain. It shows the future Paul is pointing toward, when the groaning of creation and of God’s people finally gives way to joy.
A Prayer Based on Romans 8:18-25
Father, you know how heavy the present feels for me today. I bring you the parts of my life that ache and the hopes I cannot yet see fulfilled. Remind me that what I suffer now is not the end of the story, and that you are preparing a glory that will far outweigh it. Help me to wait with patience rather than fear, and let the Spirit within me keep my hope alive while I wait for your full redemption. Amen.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the main point of Romans 8:18-25?
The main point is that present suffering is real but temporary, and that it is set against a coming glory for God’s children and for creation. Christians are called to hope in that future and to wait for it with patience.
Why does Paul say creation is groaning?
Paul uses the image of labor pains to describe a world marked by decay that longs for renewal. The groaning is a sign of expectation, not hopelessness, because creation is waiting to be set free.
How can I apply the hope in Romans 8:18-25 when I am suffering?
Name your pain honestly, then set it beside God’s promise of future glory. Practice patient waiting in prayer and in daily faithfulness, trusting that God is working toward a good end.
